More parents explore opting kids out of state tests

Eileen FitzGerald

Published 8:01 pm, Saturday, December 21, 2013

It's long been a complaint: Children take too many standardized tests.

Now some parents are doing more than complaining: They are refusing to allow schools to test their children.

The resistance is growing so rapidly that this month the state Department of Education released guidelines telling school districts just how to deal with parents who want to opt out of the tests.

"Until recently, there have only been a handful of requests for exemptions each year," the state wrote in its letter to the districts. "Districts are now reporting greater numbers of parents desiring to remove their child(ren) from participation in the statewide testing program."

Part of the reason behind the opt-out movement is opposition to the new national Common Core standards that most states, including Connecticut, have adopted and which come with their own tests -- Smarter Balanced Assessments.

Some parents are concerned that national standards reduce local control of education. Others worry that standards are too rigorous.

In Danbury, some parents have asked about skipping the state tests, Deputy Superintendent William Glass said.

"We have had a couple of parents who questioned the state test and more parents questioned the Common Core standards," Glass said. "Parents are afraid that kids will do badly on the test and not get into college and if they there is a way to opt out, they will try."

He understands the national pushback, especially in states where tests were not as rigorous as the Common Core Standards, which will mean a much bigger academic jump for their students than in Connecticut.

Connecticut, he said, has another issue: Some educators are warning parents that students may not do well on the new tests. Teachers still need some training on the new Common Core approach so they may be anxious about the new tests, too.

State officials would not provide numbers of parents who have requested to opt out of the tests, but noted that in 2013, as many as 97 percent of all students in the state took the state tests.

Tim Slekar, a group administrator for United Opt Out, a Florida-based organization of parents and educators opposed to standardized testing, said interest in opting out of tests is skyrocketing.

"Three years ago we had 400 members and now we have more than 6,000 members," said Slekar, who is also dean of the School of Education for Edgewood College in Wisconsin. "Ever since the Common Core Standards (were adopted) last spring, we have been adding 30 to 40 members a day. We want to take out high-stakes tests that don't have value and advocate for deep, rich, authentic assessments."

Another group, Truth in American Education, has a letter on its website for parents to use to apply to opt out of testing and of Common Core instruction.

"In New Milford, we had one letter submitted by a parent that was off of a website," New Milford Assistant Superintendent Josh Smith said. "But, it's not a school district's decision. It's good of the state department to provide materials to help our conversations with parents so we aren't providing different responses."

Connecticut state law requires "each student enrolled in grades three to eight, inclusive, and grade ten or eleven in any public school to annually take a mastery examination in reading, writing and mathematics."

It further requires each student enrolled in grades five, eight and 10 or 11 to take an examination in science.

There are very limited exemptions, such as for those who are deemed "medically exempt." The state department's Academic Office provided a sample letter that school districts could send home to parents, telling them that there is no opt-out option.

"Both federal and state statutes are clear in their language that all students enrolled in public schools must take the yearly state assessments," the letter states. "Until such legislation changes, the Department of Education and each school district must comply with federal and state mandates."

State Education Department spokeswoman Kelly Donnolly said the tests provide a snapshot of the academic health of a school and show where there might be need for systemic supports.

"Annual assessments provide an important yearly check-up on students' academic health," Donnolly said. "They are valuable tools for teachers that offer insight as to whether a particular student's learning needs are being met. The results also help to inform instruction moving forward, ensuring that a student is meeting his or her full learning potential."

Next spring, some districts in the state will continue to administer Connecticut Mastery Tests and Connecticut Academic Performance Tests but many will field test the new Smarter Balanced Assessments.

"I know in New York there is a growing movement to opt of the Common Core Standards," Smith said. "What I see in Bethel is that parents tend to have a lot of trust in our schools. And our students are high achievers. I also worry there is a great deal of misinformation out there so folks develop the wrong idea about the Common Core stands."

One argument that the Common Core standards are a power grab from the federal government to steal the right from states to control education, but Smith doesn't buy that.

"For the most part, the standards are good," he said. "We are asking kids to do more, but we know from growing brain research that kids have more capacity and that the standards are appropriate."

Brookfield hasn't had any requests from parents to opt out, but Superintendent Anthony Bivona also believed the pushback was related to the Common Core standards and their tests.

"In taking to my administrators and parents, our parents are interested in the Common Core standards. They are more rigorous and students need them to be rigorous so they will be more competitive in the world," Bivona said. "We've done a lot of work with parents to further the understanding the type of skills that students will need to master," including critical thinking and being able to transfer their knowledge to different settings.

Bivona was glad for the protocol.

"I thought it was prudent because if it comes up, the district has a way to respond," Bivona said.

Another issue in Connecticut is that not only does the state have new Common Core standards and a new test that will be used by most districts next spring (and the only test in 2015), but a new teacher and administrator evaluation program will include test scores as part of the measure of the educators.